Cult classic certainly spins a different sort of genre

Rating: 7/10 (15 December 2007)

28 Days Later is not a zombie film. It's usually mistakenly referred to as that and usually compared with Night of The Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead and the likes and the comparisons are not unfounded but still very misguided. I think director and creator Danny Boyle created something very unique and introspective when it comes to the horror zombie genre. Somewhere amidst the gore and gratuitous bad language is some sort of moral about people and survival and people killing people but it's kind of lost in the fact that ultimately this is a horror, blood splashing gore fest with zombie like creatures that are still not intelligent but fast moving and really angry. The landscape of England is a brutally isolated and disturbing setting for the film and the gray and dreariness of it really puts you in the mood for the story. Enter not only terrifying rage filled human creatures but deranged and sadistic soldiers and a small group of survivors who bond over their situation. The great thing about this film compared to something like Night of The Living Dead and the sequels and remakes and such is that 28 Days Later has far more of an interesting story complete with an actual beginning, climax and end and surprisingly the ending is almost a happy one or has the potential for a happy ending.
Cillian Murphy, looking disturbingly sickly and pale, plays Jim, the hero to the story. Murphy is terrific in this role because he's dark and mysterious but quickly adapts to having to survive. I almost didn't recognize Murphy because his performance was so different from his more mainstream films as of late. He didn't look as evil and bad guy as he usually does but instead plays Jim with a certain subtly and importance and his character really changes throughout. Naomie Harris plays Selena, another survivor who ends up teamed up with Jim after saving his life. Harris is the perfect balance to Murphy's Jim. Whereas Jim is quiet, subtle, and dark, Selena is loud and bold, and touch and strong but still needs rescuing and needs to find faith again that all is not lost. Harris and Murphy have good chemistry and do a terrific job. Megan Burns is decent as the youngest group of their survival squad, Hannah. She has a lot of importance to the story and seems to become a hope for survival to Jim as he protects her. Unfortunately her role lacks something and she comes across as a little boring at times. Brendan Gleeson also plays a small yet very important role as Hannah's father Frank. He's a strong, down to earth character that will stop at nothing to protect his daughter.
28 Days Later wasn't perfect. I didn't find it overtly scary as much as it was disturbing in a political and real way. The humans gone mad were far scarier than the ones infected. There were no jumps or chills just a lot of gore and blood and a half decent story as well. It felt like the type of movie that would jump start a series (which they are now into the second film which I can't wait to see.) Still as I stated earlier 28 Days Later is something completely different from an overplayed and dull genre and bravo to them for doing that. A strong cast and a decent story makes for a cult classic to say the least and I do see why people love it. I just thought it was a little dull at times and didn't really move at the pace that I had hoped. After watching the DVD's and the alternate endings I am really glad they ended it the way they did. It would have been very stereotypical for them to kill off everyone or almost everyone in the main cast but instead they actually spun it with a potentially happy ending. Part of the moral of the film is that Jim is determined to prove to Selena that all is not lost and that rings true in the end making everything fit together. Overall a good strong movie that many love. Definitely worth seeing if you're tired of the same old Zombie crap out there. 7/10